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Trump Accounts Go Live; Tyler Robinson in Court; Trump Set to Attend NATO Summit; Trump Defends Call to FIFA. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired July 06, 2026 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:00:00]

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MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY/FIXER FOR DONALD TRUMP: But it's his methodology, and the American people voted for him to be president of the United States.

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DANA BASH, CNN HOST: And you remember Cohen actually spent more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations for arranging hush money payments to Stormy Daniels in the 2016 campaign. He testified against Trump at Trump's trial for similar crimes.

Thanks for joining INSIDE POLITICS.

"CNN NEWS CENTRAL" starts right now.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The referee in chief. President Trump defending his call to FIFA over a red card on an American player, a player expected to be on the pitch tonight. We will look at the controversy and the latest decision from the federation.

Plus: strikes before the summit, Russia hammering Ukraine's Capital One day before President Trump meets in Turkey with NATO allies, leading Ukraine's president to renew his call for more weapons.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: And a widow faces her husband's accused killer, Erika Kirk in the courtroom, as prosecutors say they have enough evidence to try Tyler Robinson.

We are following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: Breaking news on that red card rocking the World Cup.

Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Boris Sanchez, alongside Jim Sciutto. Brianna Keilar is off today.

SCIUTTO: Nice to be next to this guy again.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Just moments ago, FIFA rejecting Belgium's appeal of the decision to overturn the suspension of Folarin Balogun from tonight's game, which kicks off just hours from now.

SCIUTTO: Yes, don't you wish we were just talking about the soccer on the field? But, of course, there's something else.

At the center of it all, this controversy right now, replay ruling using slow-mo -- that's an issue -- an extremely rare FIFA clause, FIFA clause, and a call between President Trump and the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All I did, I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul. And, again, I'm good at this stuff. If they wouldn't allow a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best players on the team to play, I think it would have had a big stain.

And I relayed just that feeling. I didn't tell him what to do. I can't tell him what to do, but -- and I don't believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That sentiment being echoed in a statement just released by FIFA's president. He acknowledges receiving a phone call from President Trump and says he told the president that an investigation into the red card was already ongoing.

Infantino also says that it's not uncommon for him to take calls from heads of state and football stakeholders on various issues.

Let's discuss with Coy Wire and Stephen Collinson, who are standing by for more on all of this.

Coy, first walk us through the play that led to the red card itself and the decision to issue it.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, well, Boris, being that we're outside the window, we're not going to be able to see video of it, but I was at the stadium when that happened, the collision happened.

And it just got two players running full speed and kind of running into each other. There did not appear to be any sort of malicious intent on Flo Balogun's part. The U.S. fans that were there could not believe it. Even some of the Bosnia and Herzegovina fans who were sitting next to me were kind of given the side-eye, like, that was a red card.

They couldn't believe that it happened, but it did, and he was escorted off the pitch, and there America was thinking that their star striker who is leading the team in goals this World Cup, would not be available for this big showdown in the Round of 16 with Belgium tonight. But, as you have just mentioned and covered so well, he is back. And

that means it is party time for America, he, again, leading the U.S. with three goals this World Cup. Suddenly, the conversation is about Flo Balogun again.

He is the nightmare that defenders can't wake up from. The American attack is simply on another level, hits a different gear when he is on the field. So this is great news for the Americans heading into this monster matchup with Belgium.

SCIUTTO: Yes, no question. Listen, my son's going to be there, and I know he's excited to see Balogun on the field.

And, Stephen, I wonder -- the president commenting there and saying that it was a committee decision, but he did acknowledge the phone call. I wonder, had the president said nothing, would that have been better for the team, right, because there was already this -- already these allegations of interference here.

And now you have the president talking quite publicly about at least some involvement here, and ultimately it's going to be the team, right, that kind of bears that burden.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, I think it heaps a lot more pressure on the team. But if you're a U.S. fan, you don't really care. You have got your guy back.

Where it does hurt, I think the team is internationally. There's been a lot of people have been impressed with this U.S. team, has surprised quite a lot of people.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

COLLINSON: And this has been a well cup that has had a lot of headlines. It's been a real explosion of joy in many ways at a difficult political moment.

[13:05:03]

SCIUTTO: Yes.

COLLINSON: The fact now that the president has intervened does risk, I think, making foreign supporters a little bit cynical towards the U.S. team because it confirms what a lot of them believe already about President Trump and FIFA.

But, as I said, if you're a U.S. supporter, the game's the game. And that's what you got to do.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

SANCHEZ: President Trump -- the context should be noted -- the recipient of this FIFA peace prize that seemed to be invented for him.

I do want to go back to the play for a moment because the way that the red card was administered was also odd. It's not typical that a video associate referee, assistant referee, calls down to the officiate and says you should look at this in slow motion, right?

COLLINSON: Well, that's changing.

We have had video review in U.S. sports for years. It's quite a relatively new innovation in soccer. But if you watch European leagues, every weekend, you see an incident like this. And the argument which the president made was that, if you slow down any play in soccer, you can pretty much likely to see some kind of infringement.

I think the question is, should it even be used at all in these occasions? You have also seen some offside rulings, goals being ruled out. It looks like a guy's toe is over the line, which before video and before video, Balogun would not have been sent off.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

COLLINSON: So it's completely changed the game. A lot of fans, in fact, do not support this kind of video. But under the letter of the law, when you see it slowed down, it probably was a red card, according to FIFA's rules.

What happened now, which is so extreme, is that a head of a state and a head of state of a host country has intervened, and it looks like he's had an influence on a play that was called on the pitch.

SCIUTTO: And you think, there are the chips in the ball as well, right?

COLLINSON: Right. Yes.

SCIUTTO: You think of that Croatia game. It sort of went by the player's head. You couldn't see it from right there, but, of course, the chip sensed some sort of contact there.

Coy, one of the best things I heard in the World Cup, and I watched a lot of games, was what Balogun said after the red card, right? He went and shook the referee's hand, and he said, I wanted to show respect because I know a lot of young kids are watching, and I wanted to be sportsmanlike, which he was.

And in the wake of this, the last thing I want as a fan is for him to bear the weight of this and all the politics and controversy around it. Do you have any sense of how the team is handling this?

WIRE: Talk about a role model-type response, Jim. I thought the same thing, and so did so many American fans who support this team, and not just Balogun.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

WIRE: But the way he handled that, I'm sure it certainly didn't hurt his chances of getting back in this match, if there was ever anything to do with it.

But, listen, they know they are up against their biggest mountain to climb yet. They're chasing just their third ever World Cup quarterfinal. The players I have spoken to, they're well aware of this Belgium team. They have not lost in 15 months. They beat the U.S. in Atlanta 5-2 back in March.

Now they're clearly going to have a chip on their shoulders. They might have the whole potato on their shoulders.

(LAUGHTER)

WIRE: Now, the one thing they have not yet experienced, though, they have had their base training camp, Belgium, here in Seattle. They have some experience, but one thing they haven't experienced, 70,000 Americans.

This field has become a fortress for the U.S. men's national team. They're 7-0 here. Americans have scored first in every match they played so far. I played in a couple games here when I played in the NFL. It is one of the loudest places you could ever imagine.

So it is going to be "Monday Night Football" footie style with Americans' full support behind them. It's going to be an awesome environment here in Seattle.

SCIUTTO: Yes, well, one of them will have Sciutto printed on his back shouting. Anyway, I'm going to listen -- listening for his voice.

Anyway, it's going to be a great night to watch soccer.

Coy, Stephen, thanks so much to both of you.

In just a few hours, President Trump heads to Turkey for a critical NATO summit. The war between Ukraine and Russia is expected to be one, of course, of the top priorities. The president spoke with both Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin by phone on Saturday.

SANCHEZ: Ukraine suffered another deadly blow overnight on the eve of the NATO summit. It says that Russian attacks killed at least 19 in and around Kyiv in a punishing onslaught of missile and drone strikes.

Let's go live to the White House now with CNN's Alayna Treene.

Alayna, what more is President Trump saying ahead of these key meetings in Turkey?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, it's going to be quite a short trip, actually, just to give you a sense of how quickly this NATO summit is going to go, the president departing tonight, expecting to leave, Boris and Jim -- or land, I should say, tomorrow afternoon in Ankara.

And then he departs Wednesday evening. So there's a lot to get through and a short amount of time. And, really, this is going to be a critical test for the NATO alliance. I don't think there's any secret that the president has had a lot of qualms and tensions with the alliance dating back to his first term. He continues to believe and to argue that these NATO members are

disproportionately spending enough on defense. He believes that the U.S. spends far more than they do. Even though we have seen them increase their spending in recent years. it remains a topic of tension.

[13:10:14]

There's also, of course, the impacts of the United States' war with Iran. Even though, of course, we have seen this cease-fire and memorandum understanding be struck, it's in a fragile state, and the security around the Strait of Hormuz is going to continue to be a major topic of discussion, especially as the president still has some simmering anger over what he argues is a lot of these countries not coming to the United States' defense to intervene on the strait.

But to get into some other, I think, important things, one, there was a question of whether or not President Donald Trump was even going to show up at this summit. He has previously said that he's going solely out of respect for the Turkish president, Erdogan.

He's going to meet with the Turkish president. He's also expected to meet with Syria's president on Wednesday. This comes after we have heard Trump argue that he believes Syria should be the one to really take on Hezbollah in Lebanon, not Israel. So that's going to be a major point to watch on this trip.

And then, of course, as you mentioned, one of the biggest things hanging over this summit is trying to make progress on the war between Ukraine and Russia. As you mentioned, we know that the president spoke with both Zelenskyy over the weekend, as well as Putin. He's also expected to meet in person during the summit with Zelenskyy.

And it comes as Russia is really trying to lay on the pressure with those overnight attacks hammering Kyiv,and so a lot to see there as well. I think the last thing we have to note is, of course, the president's specific relationships with some of these European leaders that he will be meeting with.

I'd remind you there was a lot of tension and kind of a feud that broke out between Trump and Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. We saw the president post just yesterday this image of him and Meloni saying, restraining order needed, so a lot to watch there. We know Starmer, who is now the U.K. prime minister, but has recently stepped down, he is going to be there as well for this NATO summit, expected to be his last really major summit for his prime ministership.

So, a lot to watch there as well, a lot of different dynamics. We will have to see how it works out, but, again, a very short trip to try to get through a lot of these key agenda items.

SANCHEZ: Alayna Treene live for us at the White House, thank you so much.

Still to come: face-to-face with her husband's alleged killer. Erika Kirk is in court as prosecutors preview evidence in the Tyler Robinson trial.

Plus, Trump Accounts officially live. What you need to know about their new savings and investment option.

SCIUTTO: And, later: disinvited. A royal source says that Prince Harry cannot stay at Buckingham Palace while he's in the U.K. this week -- the reason and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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SANCHEZ: Happening now: The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk is in a Utah courtroom as prosecutors present evidence against him, the hearing a critical one for suspect Tyler Robinson, who's accused of fatally shooting the conservative activists last September.

SCIUTTO: This week, the judge will determine what evidence will be permissible in the trial, including a recorded statement by Robinson's former roommate, who is seen as a key witness.

Some of Kirk's family members are attending today inside that courtroom. Those were his parents arriving earlier, his widow, Erika Kirk, also there.

CNN national correspondent Nick Watt is outside the court.

Nick, so tell us who exactly is going to be in there for what I could only imagine, particularly for his family members, will be very, very difficult hearings.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For sure.

Well, Jim, I have just heard from Andi Babineau, our producer who is inside. She says that Donald Trump Jr. is inside that courtroom, along with Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's parents, a few supporters with them, listening to, as you say, emotional testimony. Erica Kirk has been very emotional already.

She's been seen crying when one witness talked about just the sound of the gunshot. We're not even talking about how it looked, just the sound. This witness described the rifle shot being more violent than a pop you would get from a handgun. At this point, Erika Kirk had to leave the courtroom.

So this, as you say, is a probable cause hearing. It's not a trial. It looks a bit like a trial, in that there are witnesses and cross- examination. But it's not. It is the prosecution trying to say, we have probable cause, trying to persuade the judge to take this to a full trial, scheduled to last all week.

One of the key pieces of evidence that we believe the prosecution is going to put forward, guys, is a deposition, a taped deposition, from Tyler Robinson's roommate/romantic partner, and that there was communications between Robinson and this partner after the shooting that the prosecutors basically say is tantamount to a confession. The roommate asked Tyler Robinson, was -- "It wasn't you that did it,

right?" And the reply from Robinson was: "Yes. I'm sorry, it was me. Charlie Kirk was spreading too much hate" -- guys.

SANCHEZ: We just want to let viewers know that these are live images coming from the courtroom in Provo, and you see Robinson there on the right side of your screen.

Nick, if things move forward with this preliminary hearing as expected, how soon can we expect the trial to begin?

WATT: Well, that is unclear. This judge has been very methodical.

Now, we expect he might give a ruling on Friday as to whether the trial will proceed, but judging by his previous performance, I would say that he might delay that. But that is his decision to make. All the evidence goes to him. It's presented to him. He decides, yes, we have got enough for trial or no.

[13:20:11]

So far, you see on the stand there, if you're still showing that picture, that is a man who was a university -- a Utah Valley University campus police officer on the day of the shooting, September 10 last year, and he described hearing this pop, this gunfire that I mentioned just before, this rifle pop.

He said he could tell where it was coming from. He said after he heard that gunshot, he went down. He surveyed the scene to see if there's anybody injured who he could help. There wasn't. He then went to the roof where he believes the gunshot came from, and up there, he found a screwdriver on that roof, which is part of the prosecution evidence.

They say Tyler Robinson's DNA is on that, and also on, for example, the rifle. Now, the defense will say there's a bunch of DNA on that rifle, and that is why probably they are calling three forensic evidence experts to testify at this preliminary hearing.

So it's going to go on all week. It will be emotional. It's been emotional already. And you have got Donald Trump Jr. and Erika Kirk in there watching the prosecution try and prove probable cause, try and get to probable cause.

And don't forget the prosecution has said in this case, guys, that they will be seeking the death penalty against now 23-year-old Tyler Robinson -- back to you.

SANCHEZ: Important note to keep in mind.

Nick Watt, thank you so much for that update from court.

Up next: Trump Accounts, a new IRA-style investment tool for children, are now live. We're going to take you who -- tell you who's eligible and how you might be able to open one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [13:26:19]

SCIUTTO: Well, President Trump opened Wall Street this morning himself, ringing the bell from the Oval Office to mark the first day of trading for what are now known as Trump Accounts.

SANCHEZ: The savings and investment accounts join a list of others intended to help Families Plan for their kids' futures, like custodial ROTH IRAs and 529s.

So how do they differ, how do you open one and who's even eligible?

CNN's business senior reporter David Goldman is here to answer all of that.

David, first, who is eligible?

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, the free money machine is open, so I think a lot of people want to know the answer to that.

These can give you $1,000, Boris, and that is important because people want a leg up when they go to college and what -- and buying a house and that sort of thing, which we will get to in a second.

But anyone who is born between the 1st of January in 2025 and for now until the end of 2028, although this could get extended, is eligible as long as they are a U.S. citizen and have a valid Social Security number. And that's important because now when you have a child, as part of registering for a Social Security number, you can also register for a Trump Account.

So it's pretty much any U.S. citizen can get this.

SCIUTTO: So, David, this is intended more for long-term savings retirement than education. And, as I understand it, the contributions are not tax-deductible, and the earnings are taxed. So, so where is the benefit beyond the $1,000 gift kind of seed money at the start of this?

GOLDMAN: So, even if you invest nothing, you can get $1,000, and then that can grow, which we will get to.

But if you want to make a contribution, you can make up to $5,000 dollars a year. That's serious money. And if you want to put it in something that's plain and vanilla. You can do that. You can put it in a S&P 500 fund or some something like that, like an ETF.

The key point is that you cannot withdraw this until the child turns 18. So it's restricted and it's going to grow during that time. Now, when the withdrawals happen, if you want to make it for a retirement account, you can take it out penalty-free starting at 59.5.

Otherwise, if you're not using it for an eligible -- something that's eligible, then you get that 10 percent penalty. But if you want to spend it on college or on a home or for retirement, it's your money tax-deductible, penalty-free.

SANCHEZ: And, David, go back to the growth part. How much could parents expect to have if they start investing today?

GOLDMAN: Quite a bit of money.

So let's just assume a 10 percent return, which is actually pretty conservative, considering where the market has been. Remember, the S&P 500 has grown 300 percent over the past 10 years. But let's assume that you never invest anything. You can still walk away with almost $5,500.

Now, that doesn't really pay for college, but it's something. But assuming that you do max out, look at this, a quarter-million dollars, again, assuming that 10 percent return. If you want to be a little bit more conservative, you're still walking away with $3,300 with no investments, and $200,000 if you do make those investments.

SCIUTTO: Yes, the miracle of compound returns, right? I mean, it adds up over time. This -- and to start out with a free 1,000 bucks from the government is no small thing.

(CROSSTALK)

SCIUTTO: David Goldman, thanks so much.

GOLDMAN: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Coming up next: Unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable, that's how soccer fans are reacting to the decision by FIFA that has stunned the soccer world.

Ahead, the latest on the backlash to that call, as Team USA's game is now just hours away.

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